


Only Life

by amyfortuna



Series: Only Light, Only Life, Only Love [7]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Forbidden Love, M/M, Roleplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-05-01
Updated: 2001-05-01
Packaged: 2017-10-05 14:22:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyfortuna/pseuds/amyfortuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People fall in love. The plot begins to thicken. The world falls apart.  An escape is made.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only Life

Thirty years before this day, there had been two Jedi lovers clutching at each other in a courtroom, waiting for the sentence of death. Their only allies had been silent Xanatos and young sleeping Anakin. Their enemies had been many, headed by Senior Council member Mace Windu, and backed by a conservative Council.

But now, things had changed. Anakin, now grown, and no longer unaware of the sacrifice of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, had given into the hands of a young knight and a beautiful padawan a single datachip, a hoard of information to change a universe and turn the Jedi Order upside down.

And so, in shared silence, Knight Han Solo and Padawan Luke Naberrie read the anguished tale of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn's desperate fight for love. After they finished reading it, mindful of the cameras trained on the rooms which picked up the every word and motion of the Jedi, they remained silent, merely looking at each other, seeing the knowledge of the truths they had read. At last, Han Solo, sighing, opened up a blank document on the datapad, and after typing a sentence, handed it over to Luke.

"Do you love me?" it said, and Luke raised his head, about to speak, but Han shook his head. Luke caught the hint, and typed his answer.

"Yes!" Luke paused, and glanced up at Han, an eternity of love hidden in his eyes. A slow smile passed between the two, and Luke continued. "What are we going to do?"

Han took the datapad, and, turning his body so that it blocked the camera's view of the datapad, typed in a paragraph.

"Do you trust me enough to do what I tell you? Can you go down to the Ruede Stamni tonight, dressed as an independent streetwalker, and procure a room for us?"

Luke read that, and nearly laughed aloud. The Reude Stamni was a notorious street for prostitution, and thousands of beings congregated there every night. Jedi, as the custom was, could be excused two nights every week when they were not on a mission, to "have a night out." This meant, by common tradition, that they went to find a convenient prostitute, women preferred, but males allowed, to relieve sexual tension. Many were the whispered names of fellow Jedi into the ears of whores, who generally did not care as long as they received their Temple credits. Many were the desperate pretenses of padawans trying not to love masters, or masters desiring the bodies of their apprentices, or of knights wanting each other. The difference between the customs of the Jedi and the idea of Han Solo was that love had been confessed between the two, padawan and knight, and they sought the fulfillment of desire in each other, not in the pretense of a whore.

"Yes, I can," Luke typed. "Where shall I meet you, and at what time?"

The pair exchanged a secret smile, the coldness of their brief typed conversation not at all hindering the feelings of love flowing between them.

They had met only days earlier, a mission's duty running headlong over their exploding feelings, but there had been a single chance to take – and they had seized it with both hands. Separated from Luke's master, on the run from a hostile populace, Luke and Han had kissed and confessed, far away from the cameras of Coruscant, a night's urgent desire thrumming passion through their blood.

Their love had been like wildfire, too sudden to pause for thought, too strong to resist, too powerful to ignore, too obvious to let slide. But that night, surrounded as they were by an angry crowd seeking Jedi blood, they could not do more than kiss and confess.

And now, the tale of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, lovers like them, had given them courage.

"Meet me at the Recakdre," Han typed, naming a popular bar. "I love you."

Han stood up, assuming the pose of one who had been absorbed in study with a friend for the last few hours. "Care to spar?" he asked.

Luke smiled. "Love to," he answered, the words laced with a faint hint of meaning.

* * *

Leia Organa picked up her comlink as it buzzed.

"Yes? The ship's on its way?" she asked, fingers tapping elegantly against the wood of her desk.

The answer apparently was in the affirmative. She said a few gracious words of thanks, placed the com back onto her belt with the air of someone who has just received happy news, and went back to her work. At that moment, a tall, grey-haired man walked into the room.

"Father, it's on its way," she said absently, head bent over a datapad. Then she lifted her head with a grin. "Before four days pass, I'll see Mother again!"

Bail Organa smiled softly. "Just don't forget the documents in your eagerness to see your mother," he said.

"I won't," Leia smiled. "I'm not the daughter of a Senator and a Queen for nothing."

Bail sighed. "No, you aren't. I can trust you." With a swift motion, he came over to her and laid a hand over hers. "This is very important, Leia. The future of the galaxy..." he broke off as she lifted her eyes to meet his. Bail shook his head. "Just make sure they're safe, whatever happens."

Leia nodded. "I will."

Bail tightened his fingers over hers. "Your Jedi escort will protect you as best as he may, but all will be lost if those files fall into the wrong hands. You may trust Xanatos, but talk to no one else about this until you arrive on Naboo and see your mother."

She drew her hand away. "I'll be careful, Father, I promise you that," she said with a small frown.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker, silently reading a docufile on the Jedi Code, was tapped on the shoulder for the second time that day. Abandoning "serenity and passion," he glanced up with a sigh, and was pleasantly surprised, again.

"Bruck!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet. "It's good to see you!"

"Yes, it's been too long," Bruck smiled. "That 'little problem' on the Darsan borders took six months to straighten out."

"Well, glad to know you made it back," Anakin said. "I have had experience with border wars, and they are not pleasant things to get involved in."

Bruck shook his head. "Not at all, but we live to serve, and all that, you know? But I was going to ask you if you'd seen our mutual master anywhere around." He smiled softly. "I'd like to speak with him."

Anakin hesitated. "I believe Master Xanatos is on a mission at the moment -- I think he was picked to escort the Alderaan princess to Naboo."

"Protect Princess Leia?" Bruck said. "Easy job there. Sure, she may be the daughter of two of the most powerful people in the galaxy, but no one's after her."

"No," Anakin said. "But her father specially requested Jedi escort. You know how those Senators are about their children."

"Yeah," Bruck sighed. "I'm the one who had the paranoid prince who'd never set foot off his planet before, and was bratty and stuck-up to boot. Thought the Jedi was his personal servant, he did."

Anakin flashed a quick smile. "Let me guess, he learned different?"

Bruck snickered. "Oh, very quickly. I live to serve the galaxy in general, not spoiled princes."

Both the Jedi laughed like the children they were not. Finally sobering, Anakin grinned at the first padawan of his former master. "Care to continue this conversation in a sparring gym?"

"Certainly, though I'm a bit rusty," Bruck answered. "Months on the back end of the rainforest without another Jedi around'll do that."

Anakin grinned and led the way out of the library.

* * *

Night on the streets of Coruscant was a jungle of light and color, a dizzy maze of flashing nightclub signs and loud music. Nowhere was the scene more loud or flamboyant than on the Reude Stamni, the street of the prostitutes.

Luke slipped off the transport silently, and ducked into an alleyway to look around. The street was crowded even more than usual, the result of a holiday. Just down the street was the Recakdre, lights and music blaring out a friendly welcome. Down in the other direction was a quieter part of the street.

Luke hurried down the Reude toward the popular bar. Inside, he swiftly exchanged credits for a room, and fairly flew up the steps to it.

Keying open the door, he entered the comparative silence, and slid off his Jedi robe. Underneath he wore a nearly skin-tight jacket, painted-on leather pants, and his Jedi boots. That was all. His body certainly looked the part of a prostitute, but his face?

He frowned. Undoing his braid, he pulled the loosened hair over his shoulder, draping it over a nipple in a manner calculated to entice. The lightsaber would have to stay in the room, he thought. There was no room to hide it on the flesh-tight costume.

Fingers pulling open the drawers on the nominal dresser in the room, he swiftly opened the small compact of kohl and lipstick he had brought with him, remnant of an old mission, and spread the dark kohl lightly over his eyebrows, heightening their appearance. Then he colored his lips, swiftly, and stashed the lightsaber away in the very back of the dresser.

Luke was ready. Taking a deep breath, he headed out of the little room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

"Good-bye, Father," Leia said, smiling. "I'll see you again before too long, I hope.

"Yes, I'll try to make it to Naboo in time for Asadal, but don't count on it," Bail Organa said. As a young-looking man with a lightsaber displayed prominently on his belt approached, Bail turned, and smiled. "Leia, this is Jedi Master Xanatos. He's done many a favor for our family over the years, and you can trust him."

Leia dipped her head, giving Xanatos a brief smile. "Pleased to meet you," she said with the trained courtesy of a princess.

Xanatos smiled back, dark hair suddenly falling over his face, making him look incredibly boyish. "The pleasure is mine, Princess Leia," he said.

Leia glanced at him with sudden interest.

* * *

Out on the street, Luke suddenly wished for his cloak. Force, it was cold, and he felt...well, so exposed. Even more than when he had had to dress up in scant clothing for missions. This was different. He could only hope Han would arrive quickly, that he hadn't been delayed, or, Force help him, discovered.

Thousands of beings covered the street, dressed in everything from heavy furs to nothing at all. Luke shrank back against the wall, Jedi impulses coming to the fore. Crowds were potential danger spots but also made great hiding places.

Music, blaring, surged around him, and Luke held himself as still as possible, hoping he wouldn't be grabbed and carried off by a drunken man or woman.

Suddenly a body brushed against him. "Well, if you aren't beautiful," a voice said.

Luke remembered that he was supposed to be acting like a prostitute, and tried to grin seductively. "Thanks," he purred.

In the light now, he saw the face of the woman who had complimented him. She was obviously a prostitute herself, and seemed to like it, eyes alive with fun. "Ahh," she sighed. "If only I were one of them." She flung out a hand to the crowd. "I'd buy you and show you the time of your life.

Luke pushed away from the wall. "Are you coming on to me?" he said, laughing.

"Well, why not?" she grinned. "The real party's not arrived yet. You should hear the noise at middle night." She cocked her head at him. "You're new around here, aren't you? New to the whole deal, I guess," she appraised.

"Yeah," Luke said. "You might say that."

She nodded impishly. "Thought so!" With a wave, she moved off. "Ahh, I spot a prospect," she laughed. "See ya!"

Luke laughed in answer, and then caught his breath as he suddenly saw Han moving through the crowd, moving straight toward him with a soft smile.

* * *

Leia smiled as she was introduced to the pilot of her ship, Lando Calrissian, and his co-pilot, Chewbacca, a Wookie. Surprising the Jedi next to her, she greeted the Wookie in a few words of his own language.

"You speak Wookie?" Xanatos asked.

"A little," Leia answered. "Enough to say 'hello.' You know diplomacy." She quirked her eyebrows at Xanatos, unexpectedly. "Jedi."

"Better get strapped in," Lando said. "We're about to go into hyperspace."

Leia slid into a seat calmly, and watched the stars become streaks.

* * *

Luke took a deep breath and shoved away from the wall he was leaning against. He was already half-hard in anticipation.

"Heyyyy," he heard himself say to Han, voice gone completely seductive. "Doing anything special tonight, big guy?"

Han's eyes lit up. "Yeah," he said. "You." Then they were grabbing at each other, and kissing deeply. Right there in the street. Luke glanced around after they broke off the kiss, afraid they were being watched, but only saw thousands of beings in various states of dress and undress.

"I have a room." Luke licked his lips casually, and grinned at the fire in Han's eyes.

Somehow they got back to the room, and, falling through the doorway, managed to fairly shut and lock it, before they stopped the frantic kissing and broke away, staring at each other in a measure of half-fear, half-anticipation. Han smiled. "That was a little easier than I'd expected," he said. Luke laughed with just a touch of nervousness.

"You wanted half-price, darling?" he said in a mockery of the typical prostitute tone. "No matter HOW well you use that 'saber, babe, you're still paying..."

Stalking forward, Han whispered into Luke's ear, "Then I'd better make this worth my while, hadn't I?"

They grinned at each other for a moment, and Han finally broke the silence, taking Luke into his arms. "I love you, you know," he said.

"I do know," Luke answered, eyes twinkling up at Han. "And I love you."

For several moments, they were content to just be in each other's arms, something they could never do outside of that room. At last, Luke shifted to trace a finger over Han's eyebrow. "You're so unbelievably beautiful," he said.

Han blushed, very slightly. "I'm not going to say 'I know," he said. "I'll just say, 'so are you.'"

They kissed again, a long slow lingering kiss this time, no hurry about it, a simple exploration of the other's mouth. Then they shifted and their groins brushed against each other. With low groans, they pulled away.

"These clothes are lovely on you, Luke," Han said, breathing hard," but get out of them."

"You too," Luke said, and turned to strip. But Han could only watch for a moment, as Luke's golden skin was exposed to the dim light, the jacket and pants coming off far more quickly than they appeared to be able to. Finally Luke, naked, sauntered across to Han. "Well, if you're not going to undress," he pouted, "I'll have to undress you."

Luke's hands swiftly disrobed Han of Jedi vesture, and threw all the clothes in one big pile on the floor, boots landing with a satisfying clunk against the wall. Han, now sitting on the bed, pulled Luke up beside him.

"Even more beautiful without those clothes than you are with them," Han said, and Luke smiled, pushing Han backward onto the bed.

"Let me..." Luke murmured, and Han lay still as Luke kissed his throat, skin burning where they touched. Han clutched at Luke's buttocks, clinging hard enough to leave bruises, as Luke found a particularly sensitive spot.

"Have you ever done this before?" Han gasped out. "You're so good at this..."

"Never with you, and that's what counts," Luke whispered, breaking off the sensual torture to stare into Han's eyes. Then he, very deliberately, rolled on top of Han so their erections came into contact. "Enough talk," he demanded. "Let's make love."

They fell into kisses again, bodies rubbing urgently against each other, trying not to thrust against each other, failing, gasping, moaning, pulling apart. At last Luke pulled fully away, reaching over Han to the oil on the bedside table.

"What do you like?" he said softly.

"You, in me," Han said.

"Have you ever -- " Luke said.

"Yes, not for a while though," Han answered.

Carefully Luke reached below to enter Han with two oil-coated fingers. Han gasped at the sensation and pushed back. "Go on, you won't hurt me," he said in a tight voice. Luke took a deep breath and inserted another finger, hooking it slightly sideways..."Yes!" Han moaned. "Please...Luke, please..."

Covering his erection with oil, hands shaking, Luke dropped the small bottle onto the floor, and very gently, entered Han's body, sliding into slick heat and overwhelming tightness.

They both exhaled sharply at the feeling, and Luke reached down between them to stroke Han's cock. For a long moment, they simply stayed as they were, no thrusting at all, just reveling in the feel of each other's body...and mind. Stars exploded as they stared into each other's eyes and could see, ever so briefly, into each other's hearts. Drowning in the feelings of love and joy they got from each other, they held onto the Moment as long as humanly possible.

At last Luke, with a groan, began to thrust tentatively, sliding a hand along Han's cock. Han reached down to cover the hand with one of his own, and they gasped together. Han closed his eyes, moaning Luke's name, and came, clenching Luke's erection tightly. Luke could not help but follow, whispering "Han" very low on a sigh.

When they came back to awareness, Luke lay sprawled over Han, bonelessly limp.

"How much was that worth to you?" Luke whispered, teasing.

"Eternity," Han answered.

* * *

Bruck and Anakin had spent a cheerful evening renewing their friendship. They had swapped dozens of stories about their padawan years under Xanatos, and Anakin had urged Bruck to take a padawan himself.

Bruck had never thought much about padawans. He was so good in the field on his own, the Council had never prodded him to take one on. He promised Anakin some thought on the matter, but secretly laughed.

To tell the truth, he didn't want a padawan. He wanted his master, even though he knew it was as much as his life was worth to keep it a secret. Trying to keep the conversation neutral, he leaned forward, toward Anakin.

To Anakin, that was the signal of "words the camera should not pick up." Swiftly, he glanced up at the dark eye in the corner of the room.

"Whoops, looks like the battery on that thing is failing," he said with a grin. "And the sound is completely shot, I do believe."

"How did you do that?" Bruck asked, amazed, as the camera's light began flickering and went out.

"I don't know," Anakin said. "I just know how. I've always hated the things, personally. I lived as a slave for the first ten years of my life, and wasn't under so much surveillance then as I am now. Besides, I'm just good with machinery."

"I guess you are," Bruck smiled. "What will happen to it?"

"They'll get a droid in to fix it once they notice what's wrong. Could be hours, could be days. Once I was without a camera for several weeks. Whenever they check it, that's when they fix it."

Bruck was startled. "You mean they're not watching all the cameras all the time?"

"No, they're not!" Anakin laughed. "It's a set-up called a panapticon, where they scare people into thinking they could be watched at any time, but in actuality, they're seeing very little of what goes on."

He changed the subject quickly. "Now, what were you going to say?"

Bruck shrugged. "Since we're safe, I thought I'd ask you if you knew anything about Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was knighted just before you came to the Temple, and immediately sent off on a mission. He and I were good friends, and had promised to look each other up if we were ever in-temple at the same time. But I never saw him after my Knighting, never heard of his Knighting. It was as though he'd disappeared from the galaxy entirely. Do you know anything about what happened to him?"

Anakin's face went white. "Oh, Bruck, I'm afraid I do," he whispered.

"What is it? Did he die before he could be knighted? Why then was he not published on the Roll of Jedi who died for the galaxy?"

Anakin shook his head. "I don't know how you're going to take this," he said, "but Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his master were executed by the Council for the crime of loving each other."

Bruck swallowed harshly, and hid his face in his hands. "When?" he asked, the sound muffled.

"Twenty-seven years ago, the same year I came to the Temple," Anakin answered.

Bruck was silent, his face hidden, for several moments.

* * *

Luke and Han would have loved to lie in each other's arms forever, would have loved to forget the universe in their own bliss, but dawn would be approaching all too soon, and they were risking death with every moment they stayed together.

At last, with a gentle kiss to Luke's mouth, Han moved away, gathering his clothes together. It was Luke's turn to watch his lover in the dimness of the room.

"Lovely," he sighed, as Han bent over to pick up his boots from the corner of the room. Han turned back and smiled at him, lying decadent on the mussed sheets.

"No more than you," he answered. "Now get dressed."

"Yes, *master*," Luke laughed, and slid out of the bed, pulling his own clothes off the floor. They dressed hurriedly, eyes trying not to linger on each other.

"Shall we meet again?" Luke asked, rebraiding his hair, slipping back into the role of a prostitute for half a moment. "Have you been satisfied, sir?"

"Satisfied indeed," Han answered with a grin. "Are you free two nights from now?"

"Yes," Luke said, "as long as there's no mission."

Han nodded. "Then I will meet you at the same hour, same place."

"All right," Luke said, and turning, caught Han's eyes as he was about to open the door. "Be careful, my lover."

Han's smile went soft. "And you," he answered. "Love you."

Han slid out the door silently, and Luke picked up his lightsaber from the dresser, waited for a moment, then followed.

The party on the street was in full swing still, and Luke threaded himself through thousands of people on his way back to the Temple.

His master's chambers were silent, though a light was still on in the common room. He walked in to see his Master reading some datapad or other.

"Where were you?" she asked disinterestedly, setting the pad aside.

"It was my night out," Luke shrugged, trying not to sound defensive.

"So it was," she said. "I asked where you were."

"At the Recakdre," Luke said. She'd never cross-examined him before about his nights out.

"Interesting," she said. "I was there earlier to try to find you. We may have a mission in a few days and I wanted to let you know. I couldn't find you."

"You must have missed me," Luke said, mouth going dry with worry.

"I don't think so," she said, and stood up, hand gesturing toward the light switch. The door to her bedroom flew open suddenly, and Mace Windu, flanked by two other Council members, stalked out.

Luke took a step back. "What is this about?" he croaked.

Mace Windu stopped in front of him. "Luke Naberrie, you are being arrested on charges of dressing up as a prostitute and seducing Jedi Knight Han Solo."

Luke went perfectly still. Had Han betrayed him...or had the Council been spying...or what? "What do you mean?" he gasped.

Mace Windu pulled Luke's Jedi robe off of his shoulders. "Do we need further proof?" he said, as Luke's costume was revealed to his master and the Council members.

Luke's master shook her head. "No," she whispered.

* * *

Bruck's words surprised even Anakin Skywalker.

"I should have done something," he whispered fiercely.

Anakin shook his head. "Bruck?"

Bruck raised his head. "Anakin, this is heartbreaking," he said.

Anakin made an aborted move toward Bruck, then glanced at the broken camera. "I dare this," he said, and stepped over to his friend, pulling him into his arms gently. Bruck did not resist.

For several moments, the friends held each other, in an embrace that was perfectly innocent, but could never be dared in a room where the cameras worked, for fear that it would be misconstrued.

Bruck's eyes were not wet with tears, but his voice was low and husky. "You dare much, Anakin," he said. "But I am glad of it. Someone should."

"Shall we dare to defy them together, if we must?" Anakin asked. "I have seen how my padawan glances at his friend Luke. I fear for them."

"I am with you, Anakin," Bruck answered. "But what of our master? What does he think of Jedi lovers?"

Anakin laughed softly. "This," he said, and lifted a datachip off the table. "Read it, and learn of the courage of your friend Obi-Wan." He pushed the chip into Bruck's hands and disengaged from his embrace, smiling. "Shall I meet you tomorrow?"

"Yes, indeed." Bruck slid the chip into his pocket. "I shall see you then. May the Force be with you."

Anakin raised his hand in a gesture of blessing. "And with you," he answered, as Bruck left the room.

* * *

Han Solo had walked straight into the trap. They were waiting for him at the very entrance of the Temple.

Mace Windu's voice was cold. "You are going to be held for questioning. Luke Naberrie has been arrested on charges of seducing you."

Han placed a hand on his lightsaber. "That's a lie!" he exclaimed. "I'm the one who seduced him."

They tied his hands behind his back and led him to a deserted room, Force-shielded, to wait for the trial.

* * *

Luke and Han stood silent at the front of the judgment chamber the next morning, listening to a list of their offenses against the Jedi. Their hands were not bound, and their fingers brushed lightly together as if by accident every little while. They did not say a word either in defense or condemnation of themselves, merely waited as their trial proceeded.

Anakin Skywalker's fingers were flying over a terminal just outside the room, codes racing over the screen. He knew Xanatos was on a ship somewhere near Coruscant now. If he could get there, if they could somehow seize Luke and Han and carry them off without being pursued -- if they could manage six impossible things in thirty seconds...ahhh!

Information flooded the screen. The codes had been cracked.

"Millennium Falcon," Anakin whispered and pulled out his comlink.

A rough bark greeted him. "I must speak with the Jedi Xanatos," he said. He heard furry hands pass over the receiver and then a different voice.

"Who are you?" a man asked.

Anakin took a breath. "I must speak with Xanatos," he repeated. "I am Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Master. He will know the name."

"Very well," the voice replied and then called out away from the comlink, "Chewie, go get the Jedi."

A wait of a few moments and then Anakin's former master's voice sang through the comlink. "Anakin?"

Anakin took a relieved breath. "Han and Luke were caught...last night..." he trailed off.

He could almost feel Xanatos' eyebrows quirk. "What do you mean?" Xanatos said, then "oh," as the realization sunk in. Then quietly, "We can't let them..."

"...suffer the fate of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan," Anakin finished.

Xanatos' indrawn breath was harsh across the comlink. "Exactly. I don't know how you found out about that, though."

"Found the report you made in a pile of datadisks in the library," Anakin said.

"Ahhh, yes," Xanatos said. "What are we going to do about this situation then, Padawan?"

* * *

Their conversation finished, Xanatos broke the connection with Anakin and turned to the Falcon's pilots, speaking with command in his voice.

"There is a Jedi emergency," he said. "My presence is required as soon as possible."

"To the Temple, then," Lando said, reaching for a console button.

"As quietly and quickly as possible, please," Xanatos added. He turned to head out of the cockpit. "I'll explain what's going on to the princess."

"Should be about an hour before we land," Lando called after him.

He had taken several steps down the hall when the ship began to slow in preparation to come out of hyperspace. A slender figure in white slipped out of a sleeping cabin, shaking her head in puzzlement.

"What's going on?" Leia asked. "There was no stop scheduled."

"We need to land on Coruscant," Xanatos said. "It's a Jedi emergency. I would have talked to you beforehand, but I really didn't have time to discuss it in committee."

Leia smiled wryly. "I'm not a committee," she said. "Just hurry with whatever you have to do at the Temple, because my father will get worried if we're not on Naboo in three days."

"I'll try to, Princess," Xanatos sighed.

She watched his face grow sorrowful, and tilted her head, trying to figure out what was happening.

* * *

They landed on Coruscant, hardly noticed by the droids that scurried about, even though their stop was completely unscheduled.

Xanatos told the three on board the Falcon to stay put until he returned, no matter what happened, and descended from the ramp to the launching pad.

Just inside the Temple, he commed Anakin. Their conversation was quick, consisting of "made it? good, come to the judgment chamber," on Anakin's part. For a second Xanatos stopped to consider how crazy this was; they had no plan, and were only four, including Luke and Han, against possibly a hundred Jedi.

But there was no going back, and Xanatos would have gladly died protecting his padawan, if that was what it came down to.

He slipped down the deserted hallways, sometimes running.

* * *

Bruck left the judgment chamber; the feel of the room was dark and stuffy, and there was something frightening in the way that Mace Windu looked at the two lovers that spoke of forthcoming pain and death.

He was surprised to see Anakin standing just outside the door, comlink in his hand.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

Anakin wore the look of a man preparing for his last battle. "No," he said. "No, everything's not right. The universe has been made wrong, and it should be fixed."

Bruck stepped closer, intrigued.

"Help me defend Han and Luke," Anakin continued. "What is being done *today* is a crime, not what was done last night. Did you read that story I gave you?"

"Most of it," Bruck said. "It was written by our master."

"Who is at this moment on his way to help me," Anakin said. "You also can help. Please. Do not merely stand aside and say, when it is all over, 'at least I spilled no blood.'"

Bruck took a deep breath, thought of his own concealed love for his master, and nodded. "Were I ever in a situation like them, I would want someone to fight for me," he said.

* * *

The three Jedi, lightsabers held high, entered the chamber of judgment bravely. They had decided on the boldest course possible, for time was of the essence.

Xanatos and Bruck went immediately to Han and Luke, standing guard over them, while Anakin stared down the Jedi Council, willing them with his eyes and the Force to not make a move. There was complete silence in the room, for while the Council did nothing, no one else would either.

Han and Luke, after a whisper from Xanatos, began to move toward the back of the room. Xanatos and Bruck tried as much as possible to aid Anakin, while still covering padawan and knight.

It was not enough. Anakin was powerful, possibly the most powerful Jedi who had ever lived, but even he could not forever stare down the Council.

Han, Luke, Xanatos, and Bruck were just outside of the room when Anakin's strand of attention snapped. Immediately the entire room was on its feet, racing toward the door to recapture the fleeing 'criminals.'

Anakin began to back up, yielding slowly to the combined effort of their hate. He was being overpowered by the Council's will. He was going to die. And quick as light the thought flashed through his mind that if Han and Luke got away, he would gladly sacrifice his own life.

At that moment, Anakin's viewpoint shifted. The moving mass of Jedi before him became more like flashes of color sparkling in the sun. He reached out a hand to touch, and *felt* everything go still. A reservoir of power crashed into him, overwhelming him with its strength.

Moving like a sleepwalker, Anakin stepped forward, into the path of the Jedi pursuing them.

His voice sounded as though it came from far away, and the motion of his hand, in the traditional gesture of Force-persuasion, coruscated in the sun like the flashing of thousands of birds' wings.

"We leave in peace," was all he said. He felt their minds take the information in, process it, and spit out the required answer.

"You leave in peace," the multitude sighed together.

And the colors flashed again before his eyes, and Anakin Skywalker fell back into his body, alone before a crowd of people dressed in Jedi robes, staring blankly at him, in whom no trace of Force-sensitivity whatsoever could be detected.

"What have I done?" he whispered to himself and immediately was seized by the arm as Xanatos dragged him away to the ship.

* * *

The ship was halfway out of the atmosphere before Anakin came back to himself. The power that had coursed through him had abandoned him, leaving him exhausted and limp. He raised his head from the bench where he had collapsed, and looked around at the worried Jedi.

"I'm all right," he said, sitting up and putting his hand to his head.

"What happened back there, Master?" Han asked.

Anakin shook his head. "I don't know. Only that it felt as though..." he paused, looking up, "as though all the power that all those people had was suddenly mine, to be used against them if I chose."

"That is the strangest thing I have ever heard," Luke said, casually reaching out to pull Han against him. "What do we do now and where do we go?"

"Naboo is safe." It was Leia who spoke from her vantage point in the doorway. "My mother will welcome you, even though you are fleeing from the Temple."

Xanatos looked over at her. "Are you sure?" he said. "We may be pursued, and in any case, you do not know our story, or why we flee from the Temple."

Leia stepped forward. "I trust you, as far as I know you, Xanatos. And as for your story, why don't you tell it to me and see if I still support you?"

Xanatos nodded. "Yes, I believe we can do that. My fellow Jedi, you all know, of course, the princess of Alderaan, but she may not know you."

As Xanatos made the introductions, Bruck sat down beside Anakin. "Are you sure you're all right?" he said, very low.

Anakin nodded. "I will be, I just need rest. I feel like I've been, oh, I don't know, playing around an electrograv unit and gotten shocked."

Bruck smiled. "You can feel the Force, right?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?" Anakin asked.

"What happened to you is not entirely unknown," Bruck said. "It's called a Force-flood, and though very rare, is not unheard of. Basically, it's an occasion where the Force itself intervenes. All the Force-sensitivity is leeched out of one group of people, and given to another person or group of people."

Anakin shook his head. "I've never heard of that."

"That's because the people who were flooded usually died shortly afterward. Frankly, I don't know why you seem to be okay."

"They always called me an exception to the rule," Anakin smiled.

* * *

Leia vanished into her small cabin after a few minutes, Han and Luke pulled Bruck aside to speak with him, and Anakin looked up at Xanatos, wearily.

"Thank you," he said. "I would not have had them die like Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan."

"Nor would I," Xanatos answered. "Come, let's get you some sleep." He extended his hand, and pulled Anakin up, then putting an arm around his waist. They walked, together, to the cabins.

* * *

On Coruscant, Mace Windu and the Jedi found themselves helpless, the Jedi they were trying to kill gone, all traces of Force sensitivity vanished from inside them. For long moments, they stared at each other, frightened, each of them thinking they were the only ones who could no longer feel the Force. Finally Mace Windu dismissed them all, saying he would go and begin the search to bring back the rebels.

He made his way out of the Temple to Chancellor Palpatine's office, high up in the Senate Towers. The Chancellor, after hearing who it was, welcomed the Jedi Master.

"Jedi Windu," Palpatine greeted him. "Do sit down."

Mace remained standing. He was not a close ally of Palpatine's and would not have gone to him if he had not needed help to find the missing rebels.

"It's of no consequence, really," Mace said. "The Order only needs help with the tracking of some of our own who have left against our wishes and are under our displeasure."

Palpatine tilted his head. "And why cannot the Order track them on their own? Have they not the use of the Force, which must surely be a great aid in finding missing Jedi?"

Mace did not want to, but the power of Palpatine was too strong. He could see no way to worm out of the situation.

"The Jedi Order has..." he paused, struggling, "suffered from problems with Force sensitivity."

Palpatine stood up. "This I thought," he said. "I detected no trace of the Force in *you*."

The last thing Mace Windu ever saw was blue lightning from the tips of Palpatine's fingers, speeding toward him and exploding into his chest. And the last thing he ever heard was the cruel laughter of the Sith.

As soon as Mace Windu lay dead on the floor, Palpatine called in the Senate guard who stood outside the door. "Take this...filth away," he commanded.

The guard turned to do so, and Palpatine picked up his comlink. "Bring Bail Organa to me," he told his commander, shortly.

The response was immediate. "Yes, my Lord."

Palpatine sank into his chair to wait. Before long, the Republic would be under his control.


End file.
